[PLUG] PLUG Digest, Vol 94, Issue 30

[Richard Owlett]

Mike C. wrote:
>>
>>> I have been told that netinst is capable of the fine control
>>> of *initially* installed packages that I desire. Besides
>
>> netinst should work.
>
>
> It isn't so much that the netinst or biz card image will give you fine
> control, such as Gentoo, but that it installs only the base system or just
> the installer. Any packages beyond that have to be selected and then
> downloaded from the internet.

If I interpret correctly what I read at gentoo.org and on 
the Wikipedia page, it is overkill. But first I've got to 
get netinst working to determine if it attempts to do what 
*I* want.

>
> "*What is the difference between the netinst and the business card images?*
> The netinst image contains the installer and the base system. It will allow
> you to install a very basic system from the CD; any other packages you
> might want to install have to be downloaded from the internet.
>
> The business card image is smaller than the netinst image to fit on
> business-card sized cds. It does not contain the base system, but only the
> installer: even the base packages need to be downloaded from the net."
> Install via wifi is supported, "but with some restrictions." I presume
> those restrictions are that in order for the install to work over wifi,
> there must be a driver that supports your wireless card in the kernel
> image.

I believe my my wireless card is supported. Someone over on 
the Debian list has recommended I run a couple of 
diagnostics to confirm.

>
> This was the problem I ran into when I attempted to do a Debian Lenny
> netinstall over wifi on my Thinkpad T40 a few years ago.

There was a recent bugfix in testing (I've misplaced the 
reference) for problems doing netinst over WiFi.

>
> "The network install assumes that you have a connection to the Internet.
> Various different ways are supported for this, like analogue PPP dial-up,
> Ethernet, WLAN (with some restrictions),"
>
> Most public wifi hotspots, free or not, do use a captive portal page that
> requires the user to accept their terms&  conditions of use. Which would
> require the use of a browser. Which is not yet installed.

Nary a terms nor conditions page ;)

>
> The bad news is that nobody on the PLUG list has done this specific type of
> install successfully.

Nor, I'm beginning to suspect, has anyone on the Debian 
list. I suspect a set of constraints which are individually 
acceptable, but my combination ... ;/

>The good news is that you have the opportunity to
> figure it out, document it and contribute something to the Linux community!
> :-)

I suspect "document" is a very key word. I predict an 
eventual bug report against some portion of the documentation.